MONTVALE, N.J., Sept. 4, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The PhD Project, an award-winning program to increase diversity in management, announced the 2013 inductees into its PhD Project Hall of Fame. They are: Dr. David L. Ford, Jr., Professor of Organizational Studies, University of Texas at Dallas; Dr. dt ogilvie, Dean and Professor of Business Strategy at the Saunders College of Business at the Rochester Institute of Technology; Dr. Miriam Stamps, Chair of Marketing Department at University of South Florida (Emeritus).

The PhD Project established the Hall of Fame in 2011 to recognize a select few who have inspired many. These individuals have sustained an unwavering commitment to The PhD Project's mission and their positive leadership has resulted in significant encouragement and impact within The Project's network of minority business doctoral students and faculty.

"We are pleased to present the 2013 inductees to The PhD Project Hall of Fame. Since our inception, these individuals have served The Project as presenters, mentors and advisors," said Bernard J. Milano, President of The PhD Project and of the KPMG Foundation, the founder and lead funder of the Project. "They have put forth great effort to create diversity in academia and through that, the business world."

As a founding member of The PhD Project Management Doctoral Students Association and the Management Faculty of Color Association, Dr. Ford has been a staunch supporter of The PhD Project in speaking engagements throughout the academic community and a mentor to both doctoral students and junior faculty over the years. He has co-presented "Secrets of a Successful PhD Applicant" at several PhD Project annual conferences and he represents his university during the Doctoral Program Expo each year. During his more than 40 years of professional experience, Dr. Ford has worked as an industrial engineer for an aerospace firm, as an educator, trainer, manager, and organization development consultant. His full-time and visiting academic appointments have included UCLA, Purdue University, Yale School of Organization and Management, as well as his current position as Professor in the Naveen Jindal School of Management at The University of Texas at Dallas.

Dr. ogilvie, Dean and Professor of Business Strategy at the Saunders College of Business at the Rochester Institute of Technology, has continually mentored, taught, recruited and collaborated with current and former members of The PhD Project since 1994. As a business professor, she has served as a beacon and role model for excellence in teaching, rigorous research and broad-based service that is a spur to action for many. She was formerly a Professor of Business Strategy & Urban Entrepreneurship at Rutgers Business School - Newark and New Brunswick. She was Founding Director of The Center for Urban Entrepreneurship & Economic Development (CUEED) and Founding Director of the Scholarship Training and Enrichment Program (STEP), which helps underprepared incoming freshmen succeed at Rutgers Business School.

Dr. Stamps recently retired from USF as its Department Chair of the Marketing Program. While it is not official, it is believed that Miriam Stamps is the first African American Woman to obtain a Doctorate in Marketing. She has impacted the recruitment and development of PhD Project students and faculty members, as well as educating university administrators and colleagues about The PhD Project while encouraging them to get involved. She served the University of South Florida in various roles and made valuable contributions for over three decades. While she was the department chair, programs grew and improved. A new M.S. in marketing program was added and is now seeing rapid growth and is attracting students from all over the world. She has been a champion of global and diversity initiatives at USF and was at the forefront of several initiatives that enhanced the university's Global linkages.

The PhD Project was created in 1994 to address the severe under-representation of African-Americans, Hispanic-Americans and Native Americans in management by diversifying the front of the classroom-the business school faculty. A diverse faculty encourages more minorities to pursue business degrees, thereby increasing the pool of minority applicants for positions in today's multicultural corporate environment. Since its inception in 1994, The PhD Project has increased the number of African-American, Hispanic-American, and Native American business professors from 294 to 1,217. Further, 361 minorities are currently enrolled in doctoral programs, and will take a place at the front of the classroom over the next few years.

The PhD Project 2013 Hall of Fame's inductees will be honored at the organization's annual conference in November. A new class of inductees is selected annually, with supporters of The PhD Project and the public invited to submit nominations for each year's class.